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Ever wanted a robot personal assistant? You might be in luck, then ... because Elon Musk is gonna start building a lot of 'em ... at the expense of a big chunk of his automotive division.

The Tesla CEO announced his plans to ramp up production on his Optimus humanoid robots during an earnings call on Wednesday -- and revealed a Tesla-producing factory would be repurposed to focus on building the 'bots, reports CNBC.

Musk announced he'll double the company's capital spending ‌to more than $20 billion this year, Reuters reports. Musk said Tesla would stop producing its Model S and X vehicles, and described the planned end of production as an “honorable discharge” for the vehicles.

Models S and X are two of the car manufacturer’s oldest models -- but they're not selling ... combined, they accounted for less than 3 percent of Tesla's global sales last year.

Elon said Tesla was planning to replace the production line for Models S and X “with a 1 million unit per year line of Optimus.” Earlier this month, Musk also noted a goal of Optimus some day accounting for 80 percent of Tesla's total value.

The Optimus is intended to be capable of completing a wide variety of tasks ... so if you ever fantasized about a robot babysitter, this might be the right time to think about ordering one.

Sean Grayson, a former sheriff's deputy in Illinois, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday for shooting Sonya Massey at her house after she called police to report an intruder in 2024.

Grayson was convicted of second-degree murder in October in the shooting death of Massey ... he and another Sangamon County sheriff's deputy responded to the woman's residence in July 2024 on a report of a prowler. In an escalating verbal dispute, he shot her three times in the face, and the whole interaction was recorded on body cam.

Grayson will get credit for time already served awaiting trial. He was additionally sentenced to two years of supervised probation tacked onto the end of his sentence, Springfield's WICS-TV reports.

Massey called 911 to report a possible intruder at her home in Springfield, Illinois -- about 200 miles south of Chicago -- on July 6, 2024.

Grayson and his partner responded to the call. He claimed he thought Massey threatened to throw a pot of boiling water at him. Massey's family retained Ben Crump as a lawyer, who's previously represented the families of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.

Grayson expressed remorse for the shooting during his hearing Thursday, ... "I wish there was something I could do to bring her back. I wish this didn’t happen. I wish they [Massey's family] didn’t have to go through this experience. I am very sorry."

Grayson's defense team filed for a retrial last November, according to WAND-TV ... but the motion was denied.

A Texas man died after being given a lethal injection on Wednesday ... becoming the first person to be executed in the United States in 2026.

Charles Victor Thompson was pronounced dead at 6:50 PM Central Time at the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville, about 70 miles north of Houston, the Associated Press reports. He was 55.

Thompson fatally shot his ex-girlfriend, Glenda Dennise Hayslip, and her boyfriend, Darren Keith Cain, at her Houston apartment in April 1998 ... he was convicted of capital murder the following year and was sentenced to death.

Thompson had his original sentence overturned ... but he was retried in 2005, convicted and was again sentenced to die by lethal injection.

In November 2005, he escaped from the Harris County Jail in Houston and spent three days on the run before he was arrested in Shreveport, Louisiana -- he'd tried to receive wire transfers of money from abroad in an attempt to flee to Canada.

The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Thompson's request to commute his death sentence to a lesser penalty on Monday. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Thompson's final appeal about an hour before he was executed.

Thompson expressed regret for what happened in 1998 just prior to his execution and reportedly said there were "no winners in this situation." In 2018, he was featured in one episode of Netflix's "I Am a Killer" series. In an October interview with the Houston Press last year, he joked around with prison staff

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare said Thompson's execution was "justice a long time coming."

If you were getting all pumped about seeing Odessa A'zion in the upcoming romance drama flick "Deep Cuts," this might be a bummer -- she's dropped out of the movie's cast.

The actress explained her reasoning on her Instagram Story on Wednesday night ... and admitted she didn't realize the character she was set to play, Zoe, was of Mexican and Jewish heritage in the 2025 novel the upcoming A24 movie is based on.

Odessa's casting was announced Monday, and fans of the book started posting online about how her own background -- she's Jewish, but does not have Mexican roots -- doesn't fit with the character, according to Variety.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) represents a district of the city of Minneapolis, and she's known for her progressive views and outspoken tendencies, which have earned her the support -- and ire -- of many ... including the president of the United States.

Here's a look at the politician's background and see how she dealt with a surprising attack during a town hall meeting this week ... on her home turf.

Bruce Springsteen went for the jugular on his new track "Streets of Minneapolis" ... trashing the Trump Administration's attitude and actions against the city and its ongoing unrest.

Springsteen dropped the track accompanied by a statement n his website, explaining he wrote the song on Saturday, recorded it Tuesday, and released it today ... he dedicated it to the citizens of Minneapolis, immigrant neighbors, and the memories of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were both shot and killed by federal agents in the city this month.

Springsteen makes several references to "King Trump" and brands federal officers "thugs."

He also calls out "dirty lies" pushed by Trump adviser Stephen Miller and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, who both defended the actions of the federal officers who killed Pretti and falsely labeled him a terrorist.

Noem claimed Pretti brandished a gun at the agents who shot him ... though video later showed he never touched his firearm, which he was legally permitted to carry. Miller also alleged without evidence Pretti "tried to murder federal agents."

Springsteen's song finishes with a pledge to "remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis."

Springsteen isn't the only one who's spoken out about the unrest in the Twin Cities recently ... celebrities like Billie Eilish and Jimmy Kimmel have been loud about federal immigration activity in Minnesota.

A local TV news meteorologist died in a plane crash Tuesday ... the plane he was in crashed into an icy river near Emmett, Idaho, about 30 miles northwest of Boise.

KBOI-TV confirmed the station's chief meteorologist, Roland Steadham, was on the plane. The other person on the plane was also killed ... that person's identity hasn't been released.

The Gem County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Steadham's plane clipped a power line before crashing into ice on the river.

A large-scale power outage was caused by the power line being hit by the plane ... power's since been restored to the area around the crash, according to KTVB-TV.

It wasn't specified if Steadham was flying the plane when the incident occurred ... and the cause of the crash is currently under investigation. Investigators found GoPro cameras in the plane's wreckage, which may have been recording during the crash, reports KIVI-TV.

J. Cole's relationship with Kendrick Lamar went south when Cole appeared to diss -- and later apologize -- to K.Dot back in 2024 ... and it looks like the experience might've made him a stronger person.

Cole appeared to address his past comments in his new track "Bronx Zoo Freestyle" -- released on his freshly dropped mixtape "Birthday Blizzard ’26" on Tuesday.

In case you needed a refresher ... Cole referred to himself, Drake, and Kendrick as the "Big 3" of rap in Drizzy's 2023 track "First Person Shooter." Kendrick responded by rapping "Motherf*** the Big 3" in Metro Boomin and Future's 2024 song "Like That."

As everyone knows, Kendrick started beefing with Drake, too ... and they never patched things up in the ongoing feud.

Cole responded by calling Kendrick's music boring in "7 Minute Drill," released the same year ... but he took it all back during the 2024 Dreamville Festival and called his attempt to diss K.Dot "the lamest s*** I ever did in my f***ing life," Rolling Stone reported at the time.

Cole claimed his apology "dropped me way out of the Top 3" on "Bronx Zoo Freestyle," but insisted he's at his best "when they doubt me."

He said being at the top isn't all it's cracked up to be ... "So I jumped off and landed back at the bottom and restarted at a level where I wasn’t regarded as much / Just to climb past them again and tell them all to keep up."

The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents Saturday in Minneapolis has seen an explosion of sympathy and support from across the nation over the past three days ... but not from Megyn Kelly.

The conservative commentator blasted the late ICU nurse's conduct on Monday's episode of "The Megyn Kelly Show" and flat-out said she doesn't feel sorry for Pretti.

Kelly criticized people protesting violent immigration enforcement actions in Minneapolis ... she said if she had to protest publicly, she'd do so by standing on the sidewalk -- and not "interfering" with officials.

She said Pretti was part of a group of "organized agitators" who were looking to interfere with authorities ... and described him as "subversive."

Megyn added Pretti was attempting to "cause trouble" for federal agents -- and the trouble "came back on him."

Pretti, who was recording a group of federal agents, was shot and killed after he was wrestled to the ground and assaulted by several U.S. Border Patrol agents. He had a concealed weapon and a legal permit to carry it.

Trump Administration officials have claimed the shooting was self-defense, but multiple videos show Pretti did not brandish his gun, and was not attacking or resisting the agents.

TikTok users have been complaining of not being able to upload content about ICE ... and thousands of people have left the platform as a result.

FYI ... a mostly American-owned joint venture took over TikTok's U.S. assets last week, with “decision-making authority for trust and safety policies and content moderation.”

Misinformation about changes to TikTok's new terms of service spread shortly after the transfer from China-based company ByteDance ... and users started being prevented from uploading content about Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The apparent blackout has become a hot topic ... and Democratic Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy called suppression of anti-Trump and anti-ICE content a threat to democracy.

TikTok denies intentional censorship. TikTok told TMZ a power outage at a U.S.-based data center caused a service disruption, and said that's continuing to impact American users. The company says issues are "unrelated to last week’s news."

TikTok of course could censor anti-ICE content, operating as a private company.

Mexican actor Alexis Ortega -- best known as the Latin American voice of Spider-Man -- has died.

The news about Ortega's death was announced by World Dubbing News on Tuesday. His cause of death wasn't immediately disclosed.

Ortega was born in Mexico in 1987, and he began his career as both an onscreen performer and voice actor in 2013, reports El Mundo America.

He eventually began dubbing over Tom Holland in various Marvel productions, including "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and "Avengers: Infinity War."

Ortega worked on several Disney movies, and provided Spanish dubbing for movies like "Big Hero 6" and "Star Wars: Rogue One."

The actor was also featured onscreen in shows like "Luis Miguel: The Series" and "La Casa de las Flores."

He reportedly worked in dubbing for social media content, and on projects for MrBeast.

Ortega was 38 years old.

6:10 PM PT -- TMZ has learned more than 11.5 million fans tried to score presale tickets for 30 Madison Square Garden shows, with only about 18,000 seats available per night ... making it the largest presale registration ever for a single market or residency style run.

While inventory was limited during Monday's presale, more tickets were released Tuesday, though demand continued to overwhelm supply. Despite fan complaints, we're told no dynamic pricing was used ... ticket prices were locked in before the sale launched.

Overseas, Harry tied Coldplay's record for the most shows at Wembley Stadium and could break it if more dates are added ... and sources tell us the tour is considering additional shows.

Harry Styles' fans have had tons of late night talking over the past few days ... buzzing over his upcoming "Together, Together" world tour!

The thing is, not all of the news about the former One Direction member's shows is exactly positive -- because the prices for presale tickets to his shows, which were released on Monday, are leaving his fans in shock and awe.

Prices for seated seats at Harry's shows at Wembley Stadium in the UK started at $60.80, which isn't bad for a stadium show ... but they ballooned to a cool $642.76, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

U.S. Border Patrol Commander-at-Large Gregory Bovino is leaving Minneapolis as soon as Tuesday, Jan. 27 ... after weeks of unrest across the Twin Cities in response to harsh immigration enforcement activity at the hands of federal agents under Bovino's authority.

Trump Administration officials told CNN Bovino is set to return to El Centro, California, where he formerly served as the chief of the Border Patrol's sector in that Southern California region -- about 100 miles east of San Diego, and 18 miles north of the Mexican border -- on Tuesday. An unspecified number of agents are also set to depart Minneapolis as well.

Administration officials were upset about the way Bovino and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem handled the fallout from the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti Saturday. A senior official said discussions about having Bovino leave Minneapolis began that afternoon.

The Atlantic reported Monday evening Bovino would lose his title as commander-at-large and was expected to retire in the near future, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Bovino hadn't been "relieved of his duties" on X ... and described him as "a key part of the President's team and a great American."

President Donald Trump will still be keeping an eye on the situation in Minnesota ... and he announced he was sending Border Czar Tom Homan to the state yesterday.

Bovino's tenure in Minneapolis has been marked by tension ... three people in the Minneapolis area have been shot -- two fatally -- by federal agents since the first week of January.

Chris Madel is ending his run for the governor's seat in Minnesota ... because of his own Republican Party's "retribution" on the citizens of his home state.

The attorney, who was running as a Republican, posted a video on X Monday declaring he's dropping out ... he says he still supports deporting "the worst of the worst" from Minnesota -- the original stated goal in the ongoing Operation Metro Surge undertaken by ICE and CBP agents in the Twin Cities.

But Madel thinks President Donald Trump's approach to immigration enforcement in Minneapolis and St. Paul is an "unmitigated disaster." He stated plainly ... "I cannot support the national Republicans' stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so."

He said winning a statewide election in Minnesota is "nearly impossible" in the current political climate.

The video comes two days after Alex Pretti was shot to death by a Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis. That's the third time federal agents have shot a civilian in the city since the start of the year -- Renee Nicole Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent on January 7, and an unidentified man was shot in the leg by a federal agent a week afterward.

Several Republicans in Congress have called for a full investigation into Pretti's death in the days since he was shot, reports NPR.

Nigella Lawson's days are about to get a bit sweeter ... because she's going to be the newest judge of "The Great British Bake Off"!

Nigella announced her casting on Instagram Monday and said she was "giddily grateful" for the opportunity to serve as a judge ... we're sure her fans are feeling the same way, too!

She described "The Great British Bake Off" as a "national treasure" and said she is honored to have been trusted to judge future contestants' creations.

Shaun White's pulled off some impressive boarding stunts ... and he's finally added "jumping over a couple of comedians" to his list!

Here's the deal ... Winter Storm Fern turned NYC's Central Park into a proper winter wonderland over the weekend, as the park got blanketed with snow.

As you know, snow's kind of Shaun's playground ... so he strapped onto his snowboard and started carving through the park!

The former Olympian eventually found himself a pair of slightly unorthodox obstacles -- Shane Gillis and Chris O'Connor -- and jumped right over the two comedians while they were enjoying a few cold ones in the snow.